Kosher Cakers

For one reason or another I have been made aware of quite a few kosher bakers/cake decorators on this board in the last few weeks. I thought I would open the floor, see if people are willing to introduce themselves, start up a discussion regarding unique challenges of pareve cake decorating etc ...

Okay my name is Ahuva, Im from Melbourne, Australia and Im a hobby baker - still learning but keen

HI I'm Ruthi - I'm in Brooklyn and do cookies and cakes under OK....wish dairy were an option but that's life! LOL. I would love to have more hints and tips on baking pareve and getting close to the real thing and having great taste. Some recipes seem simple enough substitution-wise, but others...? Anyone have tried and true recipes that they love that are kosher and pareve?

Thanks for starting this thread - it would be nice to hook up with others facing the same baking challenges.

Also, I agree with Mentsch - I wish fish were the done deal....can you just imagine what yummy cakes and fillings and icings.........oh well.

Brooklyn! A friend of mine used to bring in products from Mendy's for her shop. How do you compete with them? Do you know how to make their chocolate bells? They are so awesome! If you know, would you please teach me?

I met the folks at OK at the Fancy Food Show a couple of years ago. They are so nice.

I'm not Jewish, but members of my beloved family are. I would like to learn more about Kosher baking. I have recipes for honey cake, kugel, rugelach, babka, and that's about it. I know there's more recipes out there.

My first question - what brand of margarine do you use for baking pareve, and can you buy it in the supermarket, or must you order it separately?

How about a TNT challah recipe? I would love to present a home-baked challah to my aunt in New York City.

I'm not sure which bakery is Mendy's - where are they located? There are a lot of stores here and I am far from familiar with all of them. As far as competition goes - I am very small scale because I have a day job...but to make cakes and cookies for anyone, I need to have the kosher supervision or else I'm "stuck" just making cakes for family...and how often does that happen! Still, I'm very small and not in competition with major stores, etc.

A TNT challah recipe? There are so many good ones....I make the same recipe every week cause my kids love it and I have a riot on my hands whenever I try something new!2 TBL dry yeast1 TBL sugar 5 cups warm waterMix and let bubble. Add:1 cup sugar1 cup oil3 eggs1 TBL saltStir and add 5 pounds bread flour,Mix, knead, cover and let rise twice. Shape and let rise 3rd time. Bake at 350 till golden brown..I like my challah crusty so I bake till brown, but if you like it softer, then bake less time. Exact time I'm not sure - 20 minutes to half hour? Depends on size of your loaves - this makes a lot of challah - i usually get 8 medium size loaves out of it. Can always freeze. I have ten kids so it is just right for me. Good luck!

Mix it all together and knead with a dough hook (or by hand) - the dough should be slightly sticky. Leave in a warm place until doubled. Bake on medium heat, 180oC until the bottom is brown (I do 25min but it depends on your oven)

Has anyone tried using/maintaining a bread starter? I recently had bread at someones house and they had brought the starter from Israel to Australia (while on holiday!!!) just so they would not break their minhag of making challah. It was some of the best bread I have ever tasted but it seems like such a laborious process.

Starters are fun, but yes, a lot of work. they have to be fed weekly or they will die off.

What people do not realize is that the starter will evolve with the different flour for the local region. Their starter may have come from Israel, but eventually, because of the difference in the grain (nutrients in the ground, growing season) and the air-borne yeast there, the starter will adapt itself to where it currently is.

The nicest thing about starter is that it can be frozen. If they want to maintain it's origin, they should take a tablespoon of it out to make more starter, then freeze the rest. After about a year, they can take out another teaspoon to tablespoon, add it to it's current starter, then put the rest back in the freezer.

I realized after re-reading the posts that I never answered your question about which margarines are out there....being in Brooklyn, I am able to buy Jewish brands of margarine, of which there are several that are pareve....but, when necessary or if I'm in a supermarket rather than my local kosher grocer, I will buy Fleishman's - they make a margarine that is completely non-dairy. I don't know if there are any other brands out there that have non-dairy, kosher margarine....

I too am in need of some Kosher Cake recipes ( for non fish meals as well). Can any one share. It would be greatly appreciated. I did use once for cupcakes a recipe from "Vegan Cupcakes take over the world". My kosher friends actually liked it!Susan